Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sunday Sewing

Well Sunday turned out to be a very productive day...here are the few things I managed to get done.

This is my "tossed coin" quilt which was complete except for the border and backing...so i put the border on it and the backing is also put together and ready to go to the quilter. This is my decadent victorian table topper that i did last week i believe ... well, i removed the peeper and put a small border on and then just added a solid border...i loved it with the peeper but because of price to have it quilted i decided to go with just borders :(
This is my maypole table topper and i did the same thing to this topper but am very happy that i added the white border because it was just too much flowers before.
And this ... i just love this quilt....this one i did last year in July '08 with a Simplicity jelly roll by Moda ... it is the Jelly Maker's Cabin pattern and i just love the softness of this quilt. I wasn't planning on using it, but after i put the binding on it and washed it on Sunday, i couldn't resist!
Yesterday my material for my Cotton Blossoms quilt came in the mail so i hope to start working on that this week too. I had a jelly roll and just needed the borders, binding and backing and ordered it from Piece N Quilt in Utah. Natalia was wonderful to work with and the service was great!

On another note ... does anyone else watch The Housewives reality show on Bravo? Did you know the Count and Countess (LuAnn) are getting divorced? I was surprised!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Yummy Chocolate Pudding Pie

Breakfast...
I know it's a little difficult to see this pie and i forgot to take a picture of it before we devoured most of it, but it is so yummy! It's an Oreo crust; a layer of cream cheese mixed w/ cool whip and powdered sugar; a layer of chocolate pudding ... the kind you cook n serve; and frosted w/ cool whip.
Yummy Chocolate Pudding Pie
1) 2 Oreo Crusts
2) 1 - 8 oz package cream cheese softened
3) 1 cup powdered sugar
4) 2 cups cool whip (i buy the large coolwhip and use every bit of it)
5) 3 1/2 cups milk
6) 1 large and 1 small box cook n serve chocolate pudding
Combine in a saucepan 1 large and 1 small box of the chocolate cook n serve pudding with 3 1/2 cups of milk. Heat until pudding thickens and it starts to bubble a bit. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate several hours until cool. **I always cover with syran wrap and i put it so the syran wrap is directly on top of the pudding so that a thick skin doesn't appear on the top as the pudding cools.
Cream together 8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 cups coolwhip until smooth. Spread mixture on bottom of each pie crust. (I don't use the entire mixture because it just seems like alot).
Top cream cheese mixture with chocolate pudding and frost with cool whip.
YUMMY --- enjoy!
PS... this is similar to Rachel's but hers is peanutbuttery and in a 9x13

Maypole Table Topper

Good Morning! Well, i am all about flowers and floral patterns, etc...but this table topper in Maypole is even a bit too flowery for me! I definitely think i should have thrown more of the solid tone-on-tone maypole fabrics in this topper ... oh well, maybe if it's on my end table with stuff on top of it it won't look so busy.
Hope you have a great day!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Decadent Victorian Table Topper

Holy cow ... tonight was NOT going to be a night of sewing ... it was going to be a night of laundry, bedding, dusting, sweeping and the taxes...well, that didn't happen! Today i came across THIS table topper pattern and just had to do it ... it is ADORABLE and so quick and easy to do. The only thing I did that was different is i put a "peeper" around the edge rather than ric rac like the pattern called for. I cut 1" strips so that only 1/4" inch showed after it was folded and sewn on. It only took 1 1/2 hours. Of course it's not quilted, but still, that's not bad.
Have a wonderful night ... i think i still have some time to get some cleaning done while the President is blah ... blah ... blahing.

Monday, March 23, 2009

March Calendar Quilt Block

Hello! Hope everyone had a great weekend! No sewing was done yesterday or this evening ... i spent my evening reading a book...i should know better than to go to the library when there is sewing to be done! Anyway, here is my March calendar quilt block. I really like this block because of the orange...i'm not sure what it is about orange, but i have been itching to do a quilt w/ oranges and i'm not even big on the color...go figure! Several months ago i bought a jelly roll in Cotton Blossoms and wasn't' sure what I was going to do with it...but then i saw SULTRY on Moda Bakeshop! It is absolutely adorable and i think will be very pretty in Cotton Blossoms...here is a picture of some of the strips from the jelly roll...

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Much Better...

Well ... yesterday turned out to be a MUCH better day. I spent the afternoon assembling my quilt that was suppose to be the Coin Quilt ... my cousin suggested i call it the Tossed Coin Quilt ... and since that is so fitting, I believe that is what it will be called! I am much happier with the looks of it this way ... the only thing i would change is i don't think i would have made the sashing so wide. There is 2" of the white-on-white showing and it just seems like alot to me...instead of doing the 2" sashing all the way around the outside, i put a white "peeper" around it just to break it up from the border which I have not yet ordered. So, tomorrow I am ordering the border, backing and binding fabric. And ... here is what it looks like completed...
I also finished my March calendar block, made a pillow case for a small travel pillow and fussed around with a clover table top I have been messing with.
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Coin Quilt ... NOT

Ok...well remember this picture where I was making the Stacked Coin quilt and putting a white on white sashing between each row of coins...yeah well that didn't look right when I started putting the sashing between the rows...the coins were not lining up and it was driving me crazy that it didn't look right. When I was sewing it on Wednesday night i was so frustrated i could have throw the material away and been fine! But instead i just put everything away and layed on the couch watching TV. So then Thursday night i decided to start taking my rows apart and leaving the coins in sets of 2. I have 4 sets together to make each block and here is what i have come up with for my FRESH. The blocks are sewn and ironed, but the sashing is just layed on top so i could see what it would look like, so disregard any quirks.
I am much happier with the looks of this than those darn coins! Granted I've only been quilting a little over a year, but i don't think any other quilt has escalated my blood pressure like this one! UGH!
Hope everyone has a super Friday and a great weekend!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Happy Happy Joy Joy ...

Well...not much sewing was done this weekend --- but it was still a GREAT weekend! I did shop on saturday and purchased some more clover fabric to make some table toppers and then i purchased some fall looking material to go with some drab fall material i already have ... it's white with fall colors in it to try and brighten it up a bit. But then I came across this and it was 40% off and i just couldn't resist. I bought one yard of it and now i wish i bought more ... but i'm going to plan a quilt around the colors in this and i think it will be beautiful! Happy Happy Joy Joy ... But i have to say the BEST part of the weekend was this:
It was 56 degrees and sunny today and off on the bikes we went! It is the first time I rode this year and I am SOOOO ready for summer! I'd much rather be on the bike when it is sunny and 85 in my tank top instead of layers and chaps!
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and i hope to get some sewing done this week, but it's suppose to be beautiful Monday and Tuesday ... so don't count on it!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Whoo Hooo ... Shamrock Table Topper

Tonight was a very productive night...i finished the last 3 columns for the coin quilt so tomorrow i am off to the Door Mouse to purchase some white-on-white material for the sashing and outside border ... then i did this:

This has to be the cutest table topper pattern ever! and it was so simple to put together. I just have to do the border which i plan to do tomorrow after i go to the door mouse to get more material. The tutorial for this was on Kim's blog and it is so darn cute! It was very simple to make and went together quickly. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Rows of Coins

Well, i didn't get as much done this evening as i wanted to thanks to my sewing machine...it was just one of those nights i should have left it alone and stayed on the couch with the remote! Anyway ... here are the first 3 rows of my coin quilt. I hope to have the other 5 done this week and on Saturday run to the door mouse to get some white on white for the sashing between each row ... then if they have some FRESH material, i will buy some for the borders. I was thinking a peeper and 2 borders, so please tell me ... which of the materials would you use as borders and peeper, i would love to hear your ideas. Hope the rest of your week is wonderful!

Friday, March 6, 2009

WOW ... Awesome Shopping and Then Some ... WARNING LENGTHY POSTING

Holy cow it was a great ending to the week! Below are some pictures of my recent purchases in Cleveland and down in Amish country. It was a great time shopping and who can ever see enough fabric! This is a great book of patterns that my cousin purchased for me a short time ago and i am now getting it...there are so many patterns in here that i can't wait to get started making, but as i'm sure you'll see with the rest of this post ... it may be a while before i get to them! LOVE ... LOVE ... LOVE ... this fabric and bag! I was planning on making a few of these bags to start using as my grocery bags but wasn't planning on ordering this fabric even though i loved it ... so when we stumbled upon it today ... i just had to purchase it. So, I can't wait to get started on making 2 of these...since it is only my husband and me, our grocery list isn't too long so 2 should be enough. AH Yes ... more clover fabric! Remember I wasn't big on the Dublin throw I made ... well, Kim has a tutorial on her blog to make an adorable clover throw for St. Patty's Day ... so i figured it would be so cute in this material ... yes Bets ... i've become smitten with the clover fabric :O) So be sure to check out Kim's Big Quilting Adventure for the clover throw
Moving on ... this fabric is new from Moda and it's called FRESH ... i don't think there is one print in this collection that i don't love. I was so excited when my husband decided to fall asleep in his chair tonight so i could get cutting my 3 packs of charm squares that i forgot to take a picture of them, but i'm sure you know what they look like. I am going to make the Stacked Coins Quilt from AmandaJean's blog. The tutorial can also be found on Moda Bake Shop. I'll use 2" white sashing between the columns and I will have 8 columns of 30 coins ... i think i'm going to put a peeper around the edge then a 6" border in one of the greens. I think the end result will be somewhere around 62" x 72"
How fun is this yellow fabric ... this will be a travel pillow case for my SILs mom. This should be a rather quick project so i hope to have this done this weekend.
Backing ... the blue floral on the left of this picture is the backing for a quilt i made out of a Simplicity Jelly Roll back in July 2008. I've been procrastinating on the backing and i'm not sure why because i just love the softness of this quilt. It is the Jelly Maker's Cabin pattern by Kimberly Camou done in a Simplicity jellyroll. This too should be a quick finish so hopefully I will get this accomplished this weekend also so i can take it to the quilter on Monday.
But i have to say the best part of the trip was getting to meet Rachel from ps I quilt. She is a wonderful person and gave me a GREAT gift. She gave me the Bargello Heart pattern with a cute fabric bundle tied up in this adorable tape measure ribbon. Thanks so much Rachel you are great!
Well, i think that's more than enough for now ... hope everyone has a super weekend!!!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Something Accomplished

Whew! At least i can say i accomplished some sewing this week! Last night i made one of the fabric baskets from Pink Penguin's tutorial. It was very easy and quick to make and I made it out of scraps from my SILs jellyroll bag...so SIL you are getting a fabric basket. I'd like to make one that will match my bathroom and maybe make it a bit larger to hold make-up...gosh, i could find a lot of ways to use these baskets around the house! Hope everyone is having a great week and Spring is just around the corner! Hubby must be getting itchy to get out on his Harley because he left on it for a "short" ride around town and that was 1 1/2 hours ago...it is 25 degrees now and the wind chill is 14 ... i think he needs his head examined :O)

Monday, March 2, 2009

Zzzzzzz

Hello! Well, it has been 8 days since my last post and I have done NOTHING! I have no quilts started, no patterns picked out, but TONS of material! Since I'm on the track of only working on one quilt at a time and i don't want to start one this week because I am going fabric shopping in Cleveland Thursday and Amish country Friday ... my goal ... FLANNEL! I have been wanting to make a rag quilt for some time so that is my mission this week! Kim at Still Meadow Quilting has a great rag quilt on her January 8th post so that is the simple pattern I am shooting for. Since I won't start another quilt this week, I may put together one of those fabric baskets that have been the big buzz...they are cute and i think there are so many things they could be used for. Hope everyone has a great week !